Thursday, May 3, 2012

Community Disaster Response Team Training

This little guy lives on our front porch. We came out yesterday and he was on Bill's bike seat. I think he was ready to go for a ride.

I love looking at all the boats out in the water.

You may remember back in February I went to a Belize Red Cross meeting. I met Lily Bowman, Director General for the Belize Red Cross and several other members who came from the mainland to talk to us about starting back up a branch of the Red Cross on Ambergris Caye. Well you will be happy to know that we now have a branch office of the Red Cross here on the island and now we need more volunteers.

The San Pedro Branch of the Belize Red Cross is looking for 12 – 15 people to form a Community Disaster Response Team. The training date information will be coming soon. If you or someone you know would make a good CDRT (Community Disaster Response Team) please email me at dmilst8043@aol.com. Your help in getting the word out and working together to create a prepared and Safe Ambergris Caye for residents and tourists is much appreciated.

Community Disaster Response Team (CDRT):

Following a disaster there is
always a period when the emergency services and first responders will be unable
to react. This may be due to the size of the area affected, communication
problems or impassable roads. The Community Disaster Response Team (CDRT) is
designed to complement and strengthen the existing role of NEMO within the
community by helping to increase its capacity. The Red Cross trains and equips
Community Disaster Response Teams (CDRT) in each community to enable them to
carry out emergency first response when a disaster occurs.

CDRT role and
function:

The main role of the CDRT is to assist with increased community
resilience by:

1. Working closely with its local NEMO to
prepare for and provide assistance during any disaster that is within the scope
of the CDRT’s capacity.

2. Helping the community to prepare for
and respond to disasters through public educational
initiatives.

3. Developing and maintaining a strategic
community disaster plan.

4. Assisting community members with
the development of a Family Emergency Plan

Preparedness: to assist their local NEMO with
community empowerment and resilience in order to better prepare for an respond
to emergency situations.

Response: to save lives and property
by providing where possible, first response to self, family and community during
times of emergencies and disaster.
Relief: to assist in relief
and assessment after a disaster as directed by NEMO

CDRT
Structure:

The CDRT functions as a single unit with a leader and Deputy
Leader appointed by its members. Additional roles including e.g. Secretary,
Treasurer and Community Relations Officer can be identified and selected as
necessary. The desired minimum membership is 12 with a maximum of 25 persons.
The aim of the group is to ensure diverse representation of the community on the
CDRT.

CDRT Training:

The teams learn fire prevention, basic search
and rescue, First Aid, initial damage assessment, shelter management,
psychosocial support, radio communication. This three to four days training
includes participation from the Fire Department, health professionals, NEMO and
other partners.

Develop, test and review disaster plan:

The CDRT
are responsible of developing a Community Disaster Plan, which they do under the
guidance of the Red Cross and NEMO, which defines clearly each member’s role and
function, the links between CDRT and government search & rescue services, as
well as the routine according to which the emergency operations will be carried
out. This plan is tested through a simulation exercise and reviewed on a yearly
basis.

The Takers

We are Debra and Bill, we retired January 2012 so we could travel full time. We are currently living in San Pedro Town in Belize, Central America. We blog about our life in Belize. http://www.takingbelizeblog.spot.com